It is known for agricultural work vehicles (such as tractors or combines or other agricultural harvesting machines) to tow implements that perform one or more functions, such as plowing, planting or seeding, fertilizing, and harvesting in a field. Such known agricultural work vehicles are configured to deliver power and transmit control and communications signals to the implements, as well as to receive communications signals from the implements. An agricultural work vehicle may employ one or two "markers" that typically are extendable beyond the perimeter of the work vehicle and create markings by, for example, gouging furrows in the field adjacent to the vehicle. Such markers are typically attached to the implement towed by the work vehicle, although they may be attached to the work vehicle itself. An agricultural work vehicle typically traverses the field in a systematic row-by-row format; accordingly, markers may be used to create markings in the field to indicate to the operator of the vehicle a path for the next row. That is, a marker may be positioned to extend from the side of an implement (and maintained in a constant position relative to the implement) so that, as the vehicle progresses along the present row of a field, the marker creates a guide or marking equidistant (typically parallel) to the present row of the field indicating the location of the next row of the field. According to known arrangements, markers may be installed on both sides of the vehicle so that if the vehicle enters at the center of the field, markings will be made on both sides of the vehicle (since the vehicle eventually will proceed along rows on both sides of the initial row).
A typical agricultural work vehicle proceeding through a field in a row-by-row manner must turn around at the end of each row in order to proceed down the successive row. While turning around, various functions of the work vehicle typically must either be suspended or modified in specific ways. If the work vehicle is "seeding" a field, seeding is stopped while the work vehicle is turning around to prevent seeds from being distributed outside of the rows. It is also common to raise the implement (e.g., the tool bar of the implement) towed by a work vehicle some distance above the ground while turning around to prevent the implement from acting upon (or damaging) the ground or crops outside the lines of the rows. While it is sometimes necessary to raise the implement to the maximum height to which the work vehicle is capable of raising the implement, it is at times desirable to raise the implement to an intermediate height (insofar as fully raising and lowering the implement can be time consuming and may delay the vehicle's progress).
Similarly, it is common that the markers attached to an implement of a work vehicle be raised some distance above the ground while the work vehicle is turning around to prevent improper marking, damage to the ground or crops, or damage to the markers themselves. (According to known arrangements, markers are "lifted" as the vehicle encounters obstacles such as fences, trees, and boulders.) Moreover, it is often necessary not only that the markers themselves be raised but also that the implementation of the markers be changed while the work vehicle is turning around. For example, while it may be appropriate to utilize markers on both sides of a work vehicle as it first enters and makes its initial crossing of a field so as to create row markings on both sides of the work vehicle, implementation of markers on both sides of the work vehicle is no longer appropriate once it has completed its first row. Instead, it is then appropriate to utilize a marker only on one side of the work vehicle so that, as it proceeds down one of the two paths marked during its initial crossing of the field, a new row marking parallel to the previous row markings is created only in that section of the field that has not yet been traversed by the work vehicle.
Furthermore, insofar as a work vehicle needs to turn around regularly as it advances row-by-row through a field, it is appropriate to alternate the implementation of the markers used to create row markings so that new row markings are always created in that section of the field that has not yet been traversed by the work vehicle. Finally, to the extent that the markers are attached to the implement, and especially insofar as the markers may be raised via the same power source as the implement, the raising, lowering, and changing of the implementation of the markers may depend to varying degrees upon the raising and lowering of the implement. In particular, it may only be appropriate to change the implementation of the markers when both the implement and markers are raised.
As is evident from the above, an agricultural work vehicle with both an implement and markers usually requires multiple functional adjustments during the turning around of the work vehicle and implement. Such functional adjustments, typically performed under manual direction by the operator of the work vehicle in known arrangements, may require considerable attention and coordination on the part of the operator. In particular, the manual raising of the implement to an intermediate height may require significant attention if the operator wishes to raise the implement to the same height repeatedly at the conclusion of each row. Similarly, the changing of the implementation of the markers may require significant attention if the operator must synchronize these changes with the raising or lowering of the implement or of the markers themselves.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to develop a control system for facilitating the performance of one or more of such functional adjustments. It would also be advantageous to develop a control system that would, in addition to allowing for the raising of an implement to a normal (maximum) height at the ends of rows, facilitate the repeated raising of an implement to a particular intermediate height at the ends of rows. It would further be advantageous if the control system could be further adjusted by the operator to disable the delivery of power to the implement and thus prevent movement of the implement, particularly if the control system could simultaneously permit the delivery of power to other systems such as markers. It would further be advantageous to develop a control system that would automatically alternate the implementation of markers (from left marker being enabled to right marker being enabled, and vice-versa) at the end of each row. It would further be advantageous if the control system was designed so that it would not alternate the implementation of the markers until each of the markers was in a raised position. It would further be advantageous if the operation of the control system could be adjusted to implement each of the markers, none of the markers, or repeatedly the same particular marker instead of alternating the implementation of markers. It would further be advantageous if the control system, when operating to alternate the implementation of markers or to implement repeatedly the same particular marker, could respond to inputs by the operator signifying the operator's desire to override and alternate the present implementation of markers.